guide:

"Normal talking"

"Spoken in foreign language"(in this case English)

'Thoughts'

Flashbacks/Memories

*Techniques*

Music

Chapter 12- Power!


It had been a full eighteen hours since Izuku woke up and said boy seems to not have any intention to go to bed anytime soon. His mind was going overdrive from all the information he was processing. His hand was almost a blur as he scribbled pages in his notebook where a new section was added for analysis on himself and his newfound abilities. He wasted no time writing down every technique he was given and the possible application, advantages, shortcomings and other aspects of his power.

Merlin estimated that as he is now, his physical attributes are well over 200 times greater than an average human. Even after testing it out he still couldn't believe it and was left jaw dropped when he accidentally sent Lance-san flying across the room with a single punch. He apologized frantically at landing a hit that would most likely kill a human but was even more surprised by the fact that the man seemed to enjoy it as he laughed out with pure happiness after recovering from the punch.

For the past sixteen hours or so, he along with the other sins were testing out his new capabilities. From lifting special weights that could weigh up to tons, running at impossibly high speeds, and being able to do all of those without even tiring out which is why sixteen hours later, he was still going. So far, all he's focused on is his strength and not not even the magic he can use but Merlin said that should wait as they needed to fix one major issue first.

In all of the tests he performed, he always left a trail of unconscious destruction. Powerful movements caused shockwaves and powerful gusts of wind to erupt around him. This logic wasn't unfamiliar to him as All Might does it all the time and he witnessed it first hand as well. The man's sheer brute strength creates powerful winds which he can also use as attacks.

Which brings him to his first important lesson, Focus.


Focus training with Lancelot.

"So, what you're saying is that I'm letting out too much force in my movements and that's what's causing these things. That means I have to limit myself to avoid the damage but doing so would put me at a disadvantage if I can't use the fullest of my abilities without hurting those around me."

"Well yes but actually no." Lance said. "There's a way to maximize the amount of power you can use without destroying everything accidentally."

"Really? How?"

"Focus. Focus your strength, your movements in a certain part of the body, condense your power such that not a single drop of force is wasted when you attack. For people like us, moving around is different, there are a lot of other things you need to consider like which specific muscles you need to move and by how much force you need to use. Your subtle control over your strength is key."

"Subtle control..." He repeated with his emerald eyes glanced down and his hand rubbing his chin about to start another muttering storm before Lance cut him off.

"I've seen the way the number one hero does things. He has immense physical strength for a normal human but when he moves, he shifts the amount of strength he has for a split second. It's an excellent way of moving around without causing disaster everywhere. His attacks on the other hand, are sloppy. They release force in the direction of his target as well as every other direction inadvertently causing damage around him. That excess force gets wasted instead of adding power to the attack." He finished coolly.

"That's...I've never thought about that." He said a bit surprised at the evaluation the blonde gave.

"Maximizing the power output while minimizing the damage, that's what we'll be focusing on first. You want to be a hero right? For you it'll be easy to overpower a villain, what's not easy is not killing or severely injuring them when they try to fight back. A good hero would want to avoid or end fights quickly but restraining the opponent is more difficult than just outright rendering them unconscious."

"Then where do I start?" He asked excitedly.

"In...here." The blonde said as he placed a finger on Izuku's forehead. "It all starts with how you want to move, how you think you're going to move. When you walk, you think about moving just your legs right? Well you can't think of doing just that now especially in a fight where you need to exert more strength than normal moving. You have to think of which specific muscles to move and how much force they need to exert and in which direction. It's pretty complicated but overtime it'll become second nature."

"Move specific muscles... that seems easy enough." The green teen closed his eyes and began thinking, taking in the knowledge he just received.

When punching, the muscles you need to use are your back, biceps, and triceps. In other words, it's mostly the upper part of the arm that does the work. With that in mind, he drew his arm back and threw a punch at nothing in front of him and immediately, a massive gust of wind blew to the direction of his punch just like All Might's Detroit smash did. Only this time, instead of the wind dispersing wildly in front of him, it followed a straight path and hit the wall of the room leaving a small but visible dent.

"I-I did it. On the first try too!"

"That was good for a start but you forgot one small thing... Behind you."

He turned around and saw all the equipment they had been using to test his abilities all over scattered about. The barbels, the punching machine he broke, and the 20m tall scale he used to measure his jump height were all out of there original places almost like they were blown away.

"What happened?"

"When you drew your arm back instantly before delivering that punch, the force of that movement caused a shockwave directly behind you. That's why I said that there a lot of things to consider because even the most unintentional and insignificant of moves can deliver serious damage." The blonde elaborated.

"Oh, I see. I need to be a lot more careful then."

"Careful? No. You need more training." The usual polite smile the blonde wore twisted into a wicked one that promised hardship. "We're going to have so much fun..."

Hero A (BNHA OST 16)

"Oi, what's with the music?!"

"What? Everyone knows that training goes better when you montage it and you can't have a montage without music." A certain fairy-giant replied as he turned the knob on the stereo to increase the volume.

SDS Narrator voice: And so, the greatest challenge our hero has ever faced has finally come: training under the six most powerful individuals in the world, the pinnacle of each of their respective races. Just how far is the gap between their strengths?


For the next 4 weeks, he had been through the most rigorous and fast paced training he could ever imagine. Each week, he would focus on a different aspect and set of skills needed to be an efficient hero and a formidable fighter. It was inevitable that some conflicts will be irresolvable without ending in a fight.

Each training was held by a different member of the sins who excels the best in that particular skill set.


2nd week...

Strength and Coordination training with Flaura

"Heavy Metal."

Flaura's skin shifted from her rather fair complexion to a dark metallic shine. Even her eyes were the same shade of metallic grey. She was in her shrunken form.

"You can turn your skin into a natural metal? That's an amazing skill for both offense and defense! In addition, your giant form must make it even stronger but that could mean you would also loose a lot of speed and maneuverability."

"I'm glad you think it's cool. In this state, my body can handle the strongest of attacks, So moving around doesn't really matter when you can handle anything your opponent can throw. Your goal with me is to see how effective your attacks will be in terms of raw strength and how much force you can handle before you reach your limit Izu-chan!"

"Now hit me with your best shot!" She said enthusiastically crossing her arms right in front of her face and chest.

"Alright!" He drew a punch, this time careful not to accidentally create an unnecessary shockwave, and hit the older girl right in the forearm. The impact was powerful causing the ground to vibrate slightly. Izuku felt impressed by the power of his punch before the force of the impact suddenly reverberated back into his arm and through his body causing him to spasm before falling flat on his butt.

"What was that?! Some kind of impact nullification ability?!" He said completely shaken and rattled by the vibration in his body.

"Mmm. My skin is super duper tough and anything that doesn't go through it will either be repelled or smashed into pieces by its own force." She answered happily before her skin shifted back to its fair complexion.

"Woah, that's really amazing!"

She snickered at his compliments. "Looks like we still have some ways to go. I barely felt your punch. We also need to fix your lack of grace. When you punched, you were so stiff. That'll give your opponent an opening to exploit."

"Well I still have to get used to how strong I am now. If I'm not careful enough like you guys, I cause more harm than good."

"Which is why, I'll be giving you some tips and tricks with how to move through dancing!"

"Dance?!"

"Yup! Dancing is an excellent exercise to develop your balance, flexibility, and coordination, all of which you need. It's how I learned to channel my strength. Believe it or not but a lot of fighting styles are derived from dancing and vice versa. Plus it'll be loads of fun and you can even use it for other things." Her voice was filled with excitement.

"Let's do it then!" He replied, unable to help the smile growing in his own face.


3rd week...

Reflex and Agility training with Prince.

Izuku ducked barely avoiding Lobero as it passed over his head. A small part of his hair was caught in the blade of the magical spear cutting it off instantly. Not enough to be noticeable though.

"That's no good. You should dodge." The floating boy half commented half taunted as he moved his hand fluidly about, directing the trajectory of his weapon.

"Your attacks are too fast! It's very hard to dodge when it comes at me like a bullet!" Izuku remarked narrowly evading the magical spear launching at him relentlessly, changing directions immediately when it misses and coming back for him. "Plus, I still don't have that much control over my strength."

"That shouldn't matter too much. You should always be prepared for an attack. In a real fight, your opponent won't just openly tell you what his next move will be. You need to learn how to predict them with just their slightest movement. The more you're exposed to combat, the more your instincts will be honed to perfection and the easier everything becomes. It's only natural for you to get better. And I'm not using my full speed yet by the way."

Izuku was pinned to one spot in the room. Because his movement was limited by his control, his only option was to twist his body away just before the spear would hit him. Luckily, it's attack pattern was predictable, a straight high velocity lunge every time.

"Spirit Spear Lobero Fifth form: Multiply!"(Which is just a renamed Increase because Prince wanted to sound original.)

"He says that but he ends up telling him his next move anyway." Flaura commented on the side while giving an exaggerated eye roll.

A hundred jagged triple bladed knives appeared in place of the green spear. The horrific looking blades were all circling their master before coming to a stop when he snapped his fingers. All the blades pointed toward the poor green lad and started chasing after him. Izuku panicked before twisting his body to the side to narrowly avoid the barrage of knives.

'I jinxed myself didn't I?'

He glanced all around and the knives had him surrounded, attacking in intervals from different directions. These were obviously much more difficult than just one large and very visible spear. His eyes flickered to the floating boy controlling them. He watched the other boy's arm move from left to right and a barrage of knives came from his left. He ducked under them and continued on by carefully watching the other boy's movements and acting accordingly so he doesn't get completely shredded, well at least he hoped he doesn't.

"Don't you think this is a bit too much little bro?"

Prince didn't answer his sister's concern preferring to continue his assault on Izuku who was forced to dodge another attack from above but luckily, Gowther was there to supply an answer for her.

"Maybe it is, but if you look closely, Izuku is actually doing quite well for just a beginner with no training beforehand. His enhanced instincts seem to be making up for his lack of experience." Gowther said as Izuku continued evading multiple attacks from random directions simultaneously.

"I still think this is overkill. Instincts can only be reliable for so long."

"Well yes but It seems he's inherited more than just raw power. He may not notice it but his body is unconsciously moving with precision that he shouldn't have this early on." Gowther finished his explanation leaving Flaura to piece together the rest.

Lobero shifted again and returned to its first form for a surprise attack from behind launching at new speeds much faster than before. They knew Prince wouldn't kill Izuku. His control over his sacred treasure was by far the best among them after all. He could easily stop if he sees the need to.

Izuku turned around to see the spear headed straight for him again. So far these attacks are linear and predictable even for him. It was always just one direct lunge with extreme speeds. He turned around and for a moment time seemed to slow down as he followed the spear's rapid approach with his enhanced eyesight. He was surprised he could evade most if not all of the attacks after the first one but then again, Prince was holding back as to not hurt him.

As he gazed at the spear rapidly approaching him, something clicked in his mind and he turned to his side and outstretched his arm. The spear missed him and his outstretched hand latched onto it tightly. The action caused him to start flying along with the spear at its rapid speed. His instincts kicked in and he dug his feet to the floor using the friction to slow down his momentum. He slipped, regained his footing finally coming to a halting stop, Spirit spear in hand and surprise written all over his face.

The others were clearly shocked by this especially Prince making him lose his concentration on maneuvering his weapon. Izuku on the other hand stood slightly dazed at the feat he just pulled.

"I-I caught it!" He said rather impressed with himself.

"That was admittedly impressive Midoriya-san..."

"Thanks! I don't know what came over me. I just kind of-"

He was cut off when he felt the spirit spear shifting in his grip.

"But don't ever let your guard down..."

The spear shifted in his hand and almost out of nowhere, something grazed his cheek leaving a small scratch and he was able to dodge at the very last second.

"Spirit Spear Lobero Third form: Everwolf." A large figure rose from the ground. One made of what appeared to be tree bark, moss, vines, and various other plant material. It's body was hulking and it's head was shaped like that of a wolf. It had large arms with extremely sharp claws and matching fangs.

"Ready for round two?" A clear challenge.

'I don't know why but I'm getting so pumped for some reason.'

"Bring it!" He yelled back with a determined smile.


4th week...

Hand-to-hand combat basics with Lancelot.

*boom*

The sound of something hitting the metal wall echoed within the large room.

Izuku recovered from the brutal sucker punch he received square in the jaw. Surprisingly, it didn't hurt at all despite it making him soar in the air and dent a large portion of the wall.

"Tsk. On your feet, you can't let one punch take you down." Lance walked up to him casually with his hands in his pockets.

"Y-yes sir!" Izuku stood up

"Now, again! Don't give your opponent an opening as obvious as that!"

"B-But you just punched me out of nowhere!"

"That's because I was testing your reflexes. You need to get used to it especially once you're out there doing hero work. It doesn't matter how powerful you are, you let your guard down and you could be risking someone's life. I'm definitely not sending you out there half-assed and cocky." Lance said with a strict commanding tone. "Now come at me with everything you've learned so far."

Izuku didn't need to hear anything else. This is how they preferred teaching him, straight to the point until he finally grasps what he needs to do.

He took a deep breath before moving his legs, lunging straight towards the blonde with incredible velocity. He threw a quick but nimble punch focusing his strength to only affect a small area. Shockwave based attacks are reserved for mid to long range combat and frankly he doesn't want to slow himself down with the force of his own attacks.

The tall man smirked and disappeared from his sight in less than a blink of an eye.

'What the...?!' That's too fast!'

He stopped his lunge and turned around to see a fist headed for his face. He leaned back to avoid it and used his hand to deflect the arm of his mentor. The blonde spun his body around using the force of the deflection to send another punch using his other arm in one fluid motion. Izuku saw this and raised his other arm to block the incoming attack making the air vibrate at the impact.

It wasn't over however as a barrage of punches came his way. Izuku raised his hands blocking parrying and deflecting each one. He could hear the sound of laughter in the frenzy of attacks.

'H-He's enjoying this!'

He thrusted his arms outward, stopping the assault and throwing his own punch which got caught in a powerful grip. Izuku drew his arm back to escape the grip and clenched his fist once again aiming to try another stronger punch.

'Trying to force your way through, huh?' Lance thought as he read Izuku's movements.

*Smack*

In the last second, Izuku delivered a powerful left hook to the man's cheek making part of his face cave in.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" The blonde laughed maniacally, clearly taking in the exhilarating feeling of the pain. A bad habit he picked up from his dad. However his high feeling stopped when he looked back at his trainee.

"Oi, why'd you stop?!" He yelled as his face began returning to its original shape.

"S-Sorry! I-I... that was a really strong hit an-and I didn't want to accidentally hurt you..."

The tall blonde rubbed his forehead in slight frustration and admiration for the boy's considerate nature. In any other situation, it would be worth praising but in a middle of a fight, real or not, it's just another opening to take advantage of.

'I guess the only way to do this is to beat it into him.'

Izuku brought his arms up blocking a powerful kick aimed at his head. He was shocked at the sudden attack but he should probably get used to the surprise attacks by now. Snapping out of his sudden daze, he focused on the fight.

'At least his reflexes aren't nonexistent.'

Izuku grabbed the outstretched leg and spun around, lifting Lance into the air and back to the ground knocking the wind out of the man and denting the floor. The move caught him off guard and made him give a pleased smile.

"That's it!" The blonde laughed, completely impressed by the swift reaction. "Learning as you fight! That's the only way to learn."

Izuku released his hold and allowed the man to regain his footing before charging in with a barrage of punches. Lancelot responded in kind and parried each punch laughing as he did. Izuku's punches were fast but at the same time graceful, careful not to set off any powerful shockwaves. Any normal human would've already been overwhelmed by this but luckily he wasn't just a human.

These attacks were simple and too predictable. 'He's rushing aimlessly, trying to land any hit he can in hopes that the damage will subdue the enemy. I know this is just a spar but even I know he can do so much more but it's not bad.'

A low kick swooped his legs from under him and Izuku cursed himself for letting his focus slip for a second. He landed flat on his back, a fist stopping right before his face as his mentor stood over him with a small smile.

"You need to start using your head more little man. The way you started your attack was too obvious. You need to be craftier. Relying on your superior strength and speed won't always be enough especially against someone with a lot more combat experience." The tall man said. "You get me?"

"Yes sir. I understand."

"You know, from what I've deduced after spending time with you, you like to analyze things. That's a good trait to have before any fight but it slows you down." He

"I see... but the thing is that I've never really fought back before or at least was in control when I did. All the references I have are on some of the heroes I watch but even then I could only narrow down a few heroes who utilize this kind of speed and that just leaves me with All Might and maybe Ingenium as a basis for my moves." Izuku's explained himself.

"Well it can't be helped. I was hoping we could get to the fun parts sooner but as of now you're too easy. Oh well... How about we start from there? We perfect and solidify your fighting style of analyze and attack then I can show you some moves that'll work better for you. One thing I have to point out now is how you don't use your body to its fullest extent. Sure you don't have mastery over your full strength yet but it wouldn't hurt to add a few kicks and extra moves in next time don't you think?" He dropped to a stance. "Shall we begin?"

Thump

Thump

Thump

His heartbeat(s) were rising again. The exhilarating feeling of using your muscles, the rush in your veins, the steadily increasing intake of breaths.

Why was he getting so excited?

"Alright!"


1 month of intense training later...

Walking down the stairs to take a shower early in the morning was a usual for Izuku especially with his now littered schedule for the day. Training in the morning, helping around the diner around noon and continuing his academics in the afternoon before returning to some more training until late at night. With his power returned comes so many benefits that one could imagine. He has super strength, speed, durability, and stamina. The last one was the reason why he can dedicate so much time everyday being productive without having the need to sleep a whole eight hours the day afterwards. From Merlin's estimate, he only needed about four hours of sleep a day.

Over the month long training period, he's already drastically improved his control over his physical strength. With his focus training, he's more than able to control his movements and with Flaura's dance lessons, he doesn't need to exert too much effort thinking about his next move when outside of combat. Apparently, he just needed to relax his muscles more than they normally would when a person uses them. It took him a lot of trials to finally figure it out. It was a mixture of grace and fluidity and a lot of patience.

In combat however, it was another story. He has the habit of overthinking his next move which leaves him open to a lot more relentless attacks from Prince and Lance. Their speed and precision are top notch and something he will have to possess when he finally becomes a pro less he wants to seriously hurt anyone. The sins made sure to make that clear to him. They've really given their best to help him out in almost every aspect of himself. Physically, mentally, and even emotionally.

He couldn't help but feel blessed to be surrounded by people who wished to support and help him. Blessed being a loose term that he wouldn't at all describe most parts of his life.

But what were the chances of him being part of a legendary group of heroes that defended humanity since the medieval times despite most of them not being humans themselves? Very very low he'd say.

Speaking of the sins, where were they? It was unusually quiet. Was he the first one up? He reached the bottom of the stairs and the dining area was very dark, too dark even for this morning. It was unnerving him so he looked for the light switch. Something felt very off.

The eerie silence.

The dark room.

The twisting in his stomach.

It was terrifyingly familiar.

"Where was that light switch?!"

He found it and quickly turned it on.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY IZUKU!"

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

"Here come the waterworks." Flaura

"Hey, why are you crying?!" Lance

"Should've expected this reaction." Prince

"I'll go get the mop." Gawain

"This kid really is a handful." Hawk

"We might also need to help with that. It's amazing how his tear ducts can handle that much abuse." Merlin

"I concur, but it's always a good thing to express yourself the best way you can. A story is only as good as the emotions it carries after all." Gowther

"What are you on about?" Hawk

"Oh nothing."

"You-you prepared all of this for me? I-I don't know what to say." Izuku managed to blurt out through the fountains he called his eyes.

"You've been focusing so much on your training lately and you are doing amazingly well. It is only right that we celebrate YOUR day as a reminder of your strength and perseverance." Merlin smiled affectionately as she gave their reason.

"I haven't even given it much thought actually." In all honesty, he didn't want to think so much about it. Birthdays are reminders that you have lived another year, to have another opportunity to improve your life and grow as a person. To live on and find purpose.

And he tried to end his own life. To leave it behind. To abandon everything that he is. Everything that they protected. Without someone else's intervention, he would've done it. He has forsaken his life. That was his sin. And that makes him unworthy of celebrating it.

But...

"Thank you... for this, but I... I don't deserve the privilege to celebrate something I tried to destroy." He said soberly bowing his head apologetically.

"Izuku..."

"Midoriya-san..."

"But more importantly, I wouldn't be here if not for your interventions back then and for the people who've given their lives for me, so I'll make this a day to remember them and all of your efforts as well."

'He doesn't want to celebrate his own birthday for himself anymore...'

A selfless yet depressing thought especially for someone so young.

Merlin had no words for Izuku's declaration. She was too concerned over the young one's current mindset. It was too matured and grownup. The trial was to help him control his emotions and to allow him to realize something else deep in his hurting soul. But in doing so, it seems giving him that trial inadvertently killed the child within him.

Other people would see that as a good thing. A clear sign of growth and maturity but not her. Not her. She saw it as another source of pain and deep rooted suffering. She needed to restore that broken piece of his humanity somehow.

"Hey kiddo, listen. I can understand how you feel and where this is coming from. I may have never felt it as strongly as you do. You feel guilty, like you're not worthy of something because you did something terrible. My old man once said this:

"A real sin is something you can never atone for."

"And true to his word, you can't. But will that stop you from trying?"

"I-I..."

"Will that stop you from genuinely doing the right thing to make up for it?"

"No... but"

"Will that stop you from doing good things to others?"

"Of-Of course not!"

"Then should that stop you from doing something good for yourself?"

He had no response to that.

"Liven up little man, it's your birthday after all."

"But-but I tried to take my own life. The only way to atone for that is to use that life for the sake of others...'

"I don't think that's the only way to do so Midoriya-kun. Living life is always about being of service to others and you'll be doing so regardless. So, why not live your life to the fullest and enjoy it to your hearts content? This time, you can value your life and I believe that would make up for your sin. You are still youthful and have a long journey ahead. If you live constantly thinking that you don't deserve the good of this world then how can you vanquish it's evils?

"What are you saying Gawain-san?"

"What I'm saying is that you need to enjoy your life. You punishing yourself over something you did won't help you in anyway. You shouldn't pressure yourself when it comes to repaying others. I believe that they helped you because they chose to."

That's true. He never asked for help nor did he want to, because for most of his life he's been a burden to others, he accepted that. But these people were different, his mother was different, his friend was different. The more he thought on it, the more he could really appreciate their efforts. Saving him, taking him in, mentoring him, wanting to guide him down the proper path.

"Thank you, Gawain-san for helping me realize that." Izuku gave a small smile as he released a breath of emotion.

"Don't mention it. Us newbies have to stick out for each other." The silver haired man smiled back.

"I'm glad we got that out of the way. Take your time to think, you don't have to rush. But how about you enjoy your birthday now without further ado?"

He sniffled. "Everyone... thank you..."

~End of chapter~

A/N: I hope you loyal readers didn't mind the extra week delay I took to time this chapter with Izuku's birthday. It was always one of the things that bothered me about the anime. Sure it wasn't that significant but Izuku had had two birthdays while under All Might's tutelage and I've always wanted to see Izuku's reaction to All Might greeting him a happy birthday just for the reinforcement of the dadmight moments.

Also,

Where's full counter you ask? Well let's just say Izuku needs to know something about himself first before he can perform any kind of magic ability.